


Fools Gold

by blairwiitches



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Mentions of Death, Pirates, Single Parents, Smut, Treasure Hunting, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:47:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26073637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blairwiitches/pseuds/blairwiitches
Summary: After three years of retirement, single mother Elizabeth 'Bonnie' Kingston is dragged back into the wold of treasure hunting and the adventure of a lifetime after an old friend reappears fifteen years after his 'death'.
Relationships: Samuel Drake/Elizabeth Kingston, Samuel Drake/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 3





	1. The Start of it All

The sense of adventure calls to many, but only few really chase it. From each corner of the Earth, far and wide, only those brave enough to follow it will. And for Elizabeth Kingston, she lived for it. The adrenaline which pumped through her veins as she stood atop of old ruins. The smell of the salty sea air caressing her lungs as she lay in the sand, her hair tangled from the boat journey, her clothes damp from a small fall into the deep, blue waves. 

Perhaps it wasn’t the most successful life to others. The idea of never fully settling down, always on the move. Having no time on your hands, but too much at the same time. At some point, everyone had dreams of exploring the world, finding treasure and long lost cities. But, most grew out of the fantasy. But for Elizabeth Kingston, the life of an explorer called for her, and she knew she had to follow it.

But, that is what you get for raising a child on stories of brave pirates and cities of gold. And it just so happened that Elizabeth wanted all of it.

Fame and fortune may have seemed like an added bonus, but the discovery was enough euphoria for her. She was high on adrenaline, the sheer ecstasy of seeing something lost to the human eye for years, only to be found by her and whoever she had chosen to look for it with. Even the small discoveries were enough to get her hooked. But, there was something bigger she wanted. Something she needed to find.

Libertalia. Or, as her father had dubbed it to her all those years ago; a Paradise for Pirates.

Since her first story of the notorious pirate, she had sworn to her father that she would one day discover the secrets he kept. Although the man took it as false hope, he never doubted his daughter. Even if it seemed as if it would never truly happen, he continued to tell her the tall tales, bought her books and even helped her with the research.

Never in his life did he imagine his daughter one day leaving home to discover the long lost pirate treasure, only to find others along the way, all searching for the same thing, thrusting the group together. After a while, a childhood friend begged to join them. It started with random ideas about how both of them grew tired of their stationary lives, the mention of treasure sparking a flame in the boys eyes, begging the girl to let him join her little research expedition.

Tall tales turned into research, and research soon became a hunt. All of which ended in Panama, and the death of a new found friend. After a year of discourse, Elizabeth left her childhood friend, choosing to follow the last remaining Drake on adventures. 

But Libertalia still remained hidden, and Elizabeth Kingston often wondered if maybe one day she would finally find it. And if not her, perhaps her son would carry on her legacy. But, after fifteen years of wondering, a single phrase would change her life once again.


	2. Whisper in the Wind

Leaning out of the small, bay window, smoke filtering up into the air around her, Elizabeth rubbed her temples as she took a drag from her dying cigarette. The late night city sounds merged with the noise of the television in the background, practically drowning out whatever she had previously been watching. It did not matter to her at this point, whatever it had been had not captured her interest for long enough. Instead, there she sat, her black coffee resting on the windowsill, most likely at the point where it was cold enough to drink, but just warm enough to give it that _odd_ flavour which always caused her to scrunch her face at the taste.

Her tight, ombre curls fell elegantly down her back as the evening breeze made its way through the open window, sending a chill down her spine. That night was similar to any other. It had been the same, long, drawn out day which ended in her sitting in the same spot, a book open on the cushioned seat next to her and a pack of smokes sitting nearby. She had told herself she would quit, but, like a lot of things she had promised herself, it had not gone according to plan. 

Stamping out the dead cigarette butt into her old ashtray, Elizabeth rested her head back against the pale yellow walls of her home, scratching at the dried paint on her overalls. The paint patches blended together, creating artwork of their own. Even if it was messy, it gave her clothes a character. That was all Elizabeth wished for.

She had never asked for the bores of life. In fact, she had done _everything_ in her power to avoid them. The dismal everyday life of the city, where all people knew was the route to their work and their favourite coffee shop which would give them their much needed caffeine fix for the long, lonesome day ahead of them. The life she had ended up living was a life she had sworn against so many years ago.

Almost forty, the dark skinned woman had grown tired of her friends commenting on what she should do with her life. She did not want to stop and smell the roses, or settle down. She still had so much left of the world to experience. There was so much to do and see, some many things and places left undiscovered just screaming her name every time she got herself ready for her mundane job at the local library. 

Three years she had been stacking books. By now, she knew the layout as if it were the back of her hand. She knew exactly where each number was sectioned, where each specialised field was, hell, even where a very specific author was located. She could sort them by colour and size, by the width and how many pages they held. If you were looking for a specific book, no matter how niche, Elizabeth Kingston could most likely point you to its exact location. It was her super power. Or at least, that was what her son often told her.

Elizabeth had always had a good memory, but, whenever her boy came to visit her at work, they’d play a game; find the book. Almost _every_ time, Elizabeth would find said book, or at least, find the correct section. And each and every time, Frankie would call her a cheat.

“It’s not  _ fair _ .” He’d laugh as his mother would place the book in his hands. The boy, who resembled his mother down to the slanted smile and the freckles which littered his face like the constellation in the sky, would flip through the pages, marvelling at the accomplishment. 

Thinking back on the last time, Elizabeth felt the corners of her lips curve upright, but it was cut short by a harsh breeze, causing her to wrap her thin, khaki green cardigan around her thin, but still muscular frame, and shut the window tight. The noise of the city faded away, all that was left was the dull noise of the tv and the faint hum of the refrigerator.

It was late, but the woman wasn’t tired. In fact, she felt as if she would never get to sleep that night. So, picking up her cold mug of coffee, she made her way towards her small office. The sound of her bare feet padded against the oak wood floor, the apartment now quiet, with the tv shut off, it gave an eerie feel to the place. The thin hallway was dark, the only exception being the dim glow from under her son's bedroom door, most likely his lamp. It was on almost all hours of the day. Elizabeth had tried telling him to switch it off from time to time, but once they had settled on the agreement to either have the lamp or the main light, Frankie had finally given in.

A smile formed on her chapped lips as she hovered in her office doorway, gazing to her son's door. She strained her hearing to see if he was awake. She couldn’t hear anything, but she never knew with that boy. Although she would tell him to try and sleep, she knew how hard it was to get your thoughts to stop racing. So, as long as he got a good few hours, the Kingston's were _happy_.

Elizabeth’s office smelt of a variety of different things. There was a strong scent of dried acrylic paint, as well as stale coffee from the many accidental spills which littered both her desk and the old rug which lay tattered and stained beneath her desk. Although, the most welcoming to her was the smell of parchment from the small, yet ever growing collection of notebooks which contained writing and sketches from cover to cover. In many, there were loose pages of notes which had either fallen out, or had been placed inside due to running out of actual pages. 

Each book held a memory, and each page felt sentimental to her. Her research had always been something she kept close to her. Whether the book had been hers from the start, or had fallen into her possession, Elizabeth treated each and every one with care. It had been both a blessing and a curse, as sometimes, she would reach for the leather bound looks, only to smear them with the sticky, half dried acrylic paint which covered her worn hands. So now, many of the black and brown covers had blotches of colour, mainly blues and greens. 

Turning her attention towards her unfinished canvas, her paints covered to stop them from hardening and a slightly murky pot of paint water held a few thin brushes across its rim, the woman let out a sigh, shaking her head. The piece had had her stumped for the last few days. It wasn’t as if she couldn’t finish it, or that she had a deadline for the commission. But rather, something was preventing her from doing it. Every time she sat down to finish even a small section of the beautiful painting, her hand would start shaking and her mind would race.

Her golden brown eyes glistened in the light as they finally found the enlarged reference photo. The scenery was beautiful. The blues of the sky blended perfectly with the lush green tropical trees. The golden sun shimmered on the land below it, the smallest hint to a beach in the centre of the picture. Elizabeth could almost hear the sounds of the wind carrying the tropical bird songs. She could smell the salty air from the sea, the warm breeze gently caressing her hot, slightly damp skin.

Her heart was racing as she thought back to the times where she would have been looking out over such scenery. It was a moment of peace in the adrenaline filled day. Pure bliss. It seemed as if she had been taken back to those moments. She felt as if she could breathe again, her hand gripping the pendant which hung around her neck. An arm wrapped around her shoulder, its owner's voice slightly distorted in her memory.

“It’s _ beautiful _ .” She heard herself mutter as she rested her tired head against the body next to her.

“And there is so much left for _us_ to see.” 

The hand on her shoulder ripped her from the memory. Turning, she saw her son, a small look of concern on his face which broke through his sad smile. His phone was in his right hand, his headphones dangling down the front of his yellow hoodie. Elizabeth couldn’t make out the music he had been listening to, but she could still hear it playing distantly.

It took her a moment to wipe away a tear which had fallen from her glassy eyes, letting out an sad chuckle as she shook her head. “Everything okay?” Frankie's voice broke the silence between the two. A smile cracked onto her lips as she chuckled, pulling her son into a soft hug. 

“Yeah, everything's fine.” She spoke, her voice gentle as she ran her hand over his hair, closing her eyes as the fourteen year old boy hugged her back. “I’m just thinking of something, you know how it is when my mind wanders.”

“I know, _Ma_.” He laughed, gazing up at her soft features, his eyes tracing her laughter lines. “It’s late, you should get some sleep.”

“I could say the same to you!” The pair giggled as Elizabeth planted a kiss on the boy's forehead. He didn’t pull away like other kids usually did, it had always brought a smile to her face. “But you’re right, I’ll see you in the morning, yeah?”

As the pair exited the small office room, Frank gave a nod as he made his way towards the kitchen. From her bedroom door, Elizabeth watched as the boy placed his headphones back over his ears, dancing subtly as he made his way out of sight.

Although Elizabeth’s life had drastically changed, each day was a new adventure. Perhaps it was for the best. After all, she had her son, what more could she need.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is technically the first chapter but lets ignore that.


End file.
